Random musings on history, politics, and more

Every once in a while, it’s worth remembering that the soulless working-class thugs of the various domestic security forces are people too – people, it must be added, whose sad little lives include so much more than merely oppressing and abusing the masses. It’s easy to see them as subhuman jackals whose interests only include guns and violins (hmmn, I may have misheard that, but nevermind), but the reality is, even the stodgiest capitalist stooges are generally surprisingly deep and complicated individuals, as this post from one of my favorite bloggers demonstrates quite well…

Over-the-top radical rhetoric aside, I have nothing but respect for law enforcement as a whole. Here in Minnesota, all officers have, at a minimum, two-year college degrees, then go on to become certified before getting another year of (mostly on-the-job) training. All that, mind you, for the privilege of working long, odd hours, having to deal with some of the worst aspects of human nature, and risking injury or death – all for roughly what they could be making as a shift supervisor at a fast-food joint. By the way, the number of applicants far exceeds the number of openings, and competition is fierce – every trainee officer you see on the streets? He or she beat out at least five people every bit as qualified as him or her to get that spot. It’s been that way for quite some time, as well; pretty much every officer out on the streets worked hard – fought hard – for the privilege and opportunity to be spat at, called names, and generally treated like crap for the duration of his or her career.

Hey, I only said they were deep, complicated people – I never said anything about being smart. 🙂